Let The Games Begin
by Sam-and-Ally
Summary: The 74th Hunger Games from Cato's Point of View. Cato has always been one of my favorite characters and  I hope that this helps you all see him in a new light. I won't pressure for reviews, but they are insanely helpful :   Written by Ally
1. Chapter 1

My eyes flickered open, trying to block the sunlight. I sat up and stretched my arms out in front of me, trying to become accustomed to morning. I looked at my alarm clock. Seven thirty. The reaping wasn't until nine. I still had plenty of time to sleep. As I began to roll over and cover my head with my pillow, my father burst open the door and began to yell.

"Cato!" he shouted. "Wake up! It's reaping day!" I groaned and rolled over to look at him.

"I still have time to sleep." My father's response was a punch in the abs.

"Get up Cato." With that, he left.

As I rubbed my bruising abs, I sat up and looked around my room. The metallic décor was reflective of the sunlight, making the room brighter than it actually was. I had trouble looking at it, so I finally hopped out of bed to go get breakfast.

Waiting for me was six strips of bacon, four pieces of toast, four eggs, and a bowl of fruit. My mother always insisted on making me big meals, to bulk up for the arena. My six year old sister Cora was sitting in the seat next to mine. I gave her a quick kiss on the head before sitting down to eat.

"Cato, when you're done eating, you need to go outside and train." My mother said while eating a forkful of eggs.

"Haven't I done enough training? The reaping's today. There's not much more I can do at this poi-." At this point my father came downstairs and threw whatever he was holding at me.

"Dammit Cato! Get it through your thick head! You're volunteering today, and you _have_ to be prepared if you're going to win!" I ignored him, and continued to eat my breakfast until the plate was empty. I grabbed another slice of bacon and a sword before making my way out to the backyard.

The 'training center,' as I preferred to call it, was filled with weapons, dummies, targets, and anything else you could ever possibly need to 'succeed' as my father would say. Past the yard, you could see the nut, the main military for the district. It's where I would work, if I wasn't going to win.

Then I began the same routine I do every day. I start messing around with one of the dummies, practicing combat moves and sneak attacks until it was a mangled disaster. I moved on to the pull up bars. Then push-ups. Then I left the yard and jogged for a while. When I came home, I had enough time to take a shower and get changed for the reaping.

I come downstairs to see my family dressed and ready to go. We all look very simple. My father and I wear matching silver dress shirts and black slacks. My mother wears a simple silver dress. Cora is wearing a white dress with a silver sash around it. She runs up to me and pokes me in the leg, about eye level to her. "You look pretty Cato!" I couldn't help but laugh. "Oh I do, huh?" I picked her up and began to tickle her, making her squeal in delight. We didn't even have time to relish what could be the last moment with each other before my father rushed us all out the door.

As we got to town square and the justice building, I saw Mayor Pickertt on the stage, along with the escort, Kesla Porter, and the mentor, Brutus Hollins, who won the 52nd Hunger Games. My father immediately shoved me into the section where my peers were, the other 18 year old males. I knew what my family expected of me, and I knew what I had to do.

Kesla walked up to the stage with her usual speech, in the strange Capitol accent we're all so comfortable with. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to this bright and glorious day! I am simply ecstatic to announce to you the male and female tributes who are allowed to honor District Two in this 74th annual Hunger Games!" The speech was received with cheers and whooping that went on for miles. When the cheering died, Kesla spoke into the microphone with a simple "Ladies first!" before walking to the bowl on her right hand side.

She fished around for a while for buildup. When she finally grabbed a slip of paper, she made her way back to the middle of the stage. As she opened up the slip, she cleared her throat. You could cut the tension with a butter knife.

"The lovely lady to honor District 2 in these Hunger Games is…. Clove Alcen!"

A girl who appeared about 15, walked up the stage with confidence to her friends and family's many cheers. I don't recognize her from school, although that's most likely the age difference. One thing I noticed though: She looked near identical to Cora. I bit my lip, I knew what was coming next.

"And now, for the gent-"

Before Kesla could finish her sentence I ran out of line and made my way up the stage before I was stopped by peacekeepers. I pushed the peacekeepers away from me and said the words I never thought I would enjoy saying.

"I volunteer as District 2 male tribute."

Everyone was over the moon. Even Kesla and Mayor Pickertt were clapping. When I got up stage, Kesla asked what my name was. I leaned in close and whispered it. With that, she grabbed me and Clove's hands, raised them high above our heads, and uttered the words I've been longing to hear since I was 12 years old.

"May I present to you our District Two tributes, Clove Alcen and Cato Davis!"


	2. Chapter 2

I close my eyes and breathe in, listening to the sounds of overwhelming screaming and crying. They were screaming for _me_. It was so empowering, I felt I could do anything at this moment in time. After what felt like hours I opened my eyes and looked over at Clove to see her reaction. I could tell she was nervous. But what got me was the striking resemblance to Cora. I pictured my baby sister up here in Clove's place: trembling, crying, trying to get down to go and find me. It took the magic out of the moment, and suddenly I felt just as nervous as Clove looked.

When the cheering began to die down, two peacekeepers came over and led Clove and myself into the justice building. As we were walking away, I heard Kesla give her infamous closing speech: "Thank you to all of you lovely citizens for joining us for today's reaping. We hope you had fun, and to Cato and Clove: May the odds be _ever_ in your favor!"

The justice building was dark and cold, and we were quickly sent down an equally chilling hallway. It reminded me of those castles and dungeons I see in my history textbook. After what felt like miles, we got to the end of the hallway, with a door on either side. They were dark red and about eight feet tall, which meant for once I didn't have to duck to get into a doorway. Clove was pushed through the door on the right, and I was sent into the left.

I gasped when I walked in. It was without a doubt the most beautiful room I've ever seen. Dark red leather couches and an elegant glass coffee table were dead center in the room. In the back was a beautiful picture window with golden curtains, and a desk with a chair to match the other furniture. Bookshelves as tall as the ceiling were filled to the brim, and scattered through the room were matching end tables with stunning vases. Paintings that should be in an art gallery let alone District 2 were hung up on every wall. I sat down on the sofa in the middle, taking another moment to take it all in. I couldn't sit for long though before there was a knock on the door, and in enters my father.

We meet each other half way, and he awkwardly puts his hand on my shoulder, trying not to make eye contact. "I'm proud of you son," he said to the floor. "I know you can do this." And then he did something he's never done my whole life: he hugged me.

Not knowing what to do, I patted his back and muttered "Um.. Thanks dad." My dad finally made eye contact and said, his voice getting choked with tears, "You have the power and strength to come home. So please come home to me Cato." With that, he left the room, wiping his eyes.

Next was my mother and Cora. I ran straight for Cora immediately, picked her up and swung her around. When I put her down her eyes were red and puffy. My mother hugged me and said, "We're all very proud of you Cato. We all know you can win this." I nodded at her. Then I knelt down next to Cora.

"Hey sis, why are you crying?" I said, as I used my finger to brush away a tear rolling down her cheek. I tried to offer a smile so she wouldn't feel intimidated. She was silent for a few seconds, trying to put her words in the right order. What she finally said was a worse blow than anything I could ever hope to get in the arena: "Please don't leave me Cato."

My mother inhaled sharply and walked to the other side of the room. Cora just looked at me with her big brown eyes, waiting for my response. I took a deep breath and tried to explain as best as I could.

"I'm sorry Cora, but I have to. It's _really_ important that I go actually. You'll even get to see me on TV! And I'll be back home before you know it!"

Cora sniffled. "But how come sometimes people don't come back Cato! I want you to come back! I need my brother!" With this she broke into sobs and grabbed on to my legs in a vice so strong that twelve men my size wouldn't be able to pull her off.

Finally, the peacekeepers came back in. One took my mother by the arm to escort her out, two had to grab my sister to pull her off. I ran after them, quickly gave my mother a kiss on the cheek, and stole Cora away for one last kiss, a hug, and a promise: "I'll be back home for you Cora. I promise. Do you understand? I will come back home for you." With that, the peacekeepers took her away, and the door was slammed shut behind them, Cora's wailing still echoing through the room


	3. Chapter 3

After my mother and Cora left, I sat down on the couch in the center of the room. Tears were threatening to fall and I immediately stood up and pitched the glass coffee table across the room. It shattered into thousands of pieces. There were scratches all over the yellow paint on the wall. I just didn't care anymore.

It's not about showing off anymore. It's not about the fame anymore. It's not about making my parents proud anymore. It's about getting back to my sister. I made a promise that I intend to keep. I realize now that no matter what, I _have _to win to see my baby sister again.

Still glaring at the broken glass shards, Kesla and Brutus open the door. Kesla's face flashed a brief moment of fear, but she quickly replaced it with a smile, a wave of her hand and an "Oh Cato! Don't you worry about that! People will clean that up for you! Come now deary, the train is leaving in ten minutes! I trust you were able to say goodbye to your family?" I couldn't say anything. A short nod did just the trick.

"Oh goodie!" Kesla said. "Well then come now lovely, we must get going!" I allowed her to take my hand and drag me to the identical room Clove was staying in. As Kesla recited the same speech she had just given to me, Brutus rolled his eyes. He leaned over and whispered "This woman is batshit insane…" I couldn't help but snort. If Kesla knew I was laughing at her, she didn't show it. She rushed everyone out to the train station in the back of the building.

I let Clove and Kesla step on first. Hearing Clove's gasp, I got excited and leaped onto the car. It was just as beautiful as the room in the justice building.

I walked in to the sight of a giant crystal chandelier. A modern dining car with neon orange chairs and a bar pushed into the corner with every type of drink imaginable, even some I've never heard of. There were two gold doors, one on each side. I ran towards the one on the left when Brutus grabbed me by the shirt collar. "Hold on. Your room is this way." He grunted.

Kesla chimed in, "Oh, come now Brutus! Let the boy explore for a tad! Show him his room later."

Brutus mumbled. "Fine. Be back here in five minutes." With that he took a pill bottle out of his pocket, popped two, and sat down at the table.

Clove and I walked to the next car over. There was a large leather sofa and something resembling a TV, but flatter and larger. As much as I wanted to stay, I followed Clove to the next car.

We found the kitchen, the coal car, and the conductor's car up ahead. We decided to walk back before we had to face the wrath of Brutus.

We were silent, but as we got to the kitchen, Clove stopped and turned to face me. Sticking out her hand, she said "I'm Clove by the way. Clove Alcen. And you're Cato Davis." I took her hand and shook it. "Yeah. Nice to meet you Clove… I guess?"

She smirked and continued. "I've seen in interviews before, they call us 'Careers.'"

I know exactly what she's talking about. There have been countless interviews ever since we were children of people from the other districts calling District Two tributes 'Career Tributes.' Same as District One and District Four. These three districts train for the games their whole lives. They all normally band together until the brutal end.

"Yeah. I know. So what are you saying? You think we're going to have an alliance?" The smirk again. "That's exactly what I'm saying." And with that, she walked back to the dining car so Brutus could escort her to her bedroom.

* * *

><p>I followed Brutus and Clove back to the sleeping car. The silence was so thick I wanted to say <em>anything<em> just to break it. However, I kept my mouth shut, out of fear of Brutus. He opened up the doors to our bedrooms at the same time. As we both walked in, he said "Dinner's in five minutes." Without another word, or emotion, he walked back to the dining room. Clove and I looked at each other. Her eyes were wide, and had dark circles under them. Without saying anything, she shut her door. I quickly followed suit.

The lights turned on automatically when I walked in. In the center of a large room was a king sized bed. Golden closets and dressers were lining the walls. There was a bathroom to the right with a gold rimmed toilet, shower, and bathtub. On the bed were clothes laid out for me. A metallic green shirt. With matching shoes. The only saving piece of this outfit were the black pants, which looked identical to the ones I was already wearing. "What are they doing to me?" I whispered to myself, before throwing on the shirt and shoes and going back to the dining car.

Clove, Kesla, and Brutus were already sitting at the dining table. Once again, the silence was overbearing. I took a seat next to Clove, who was wearing a dress identical to my shirt, and looked at the food options.

I didn't know what half of this stuff was, or if it was even real food. The only thing I could recognize were a couple of meats. Kesla, noticing my confusion, stood up and pointed things out. "See here Cato darling? We have spaghetti and meatballs, lamb stew with dried plums, Pot roast, steaks, a vegetable platter, some deep fried zucchini, a ste…"

I stopped listening. Frankly, I stopped caring. The events of the day gave me a huge appetite, and I was willing to eat anything at this point. I loaded up my plate and ate like a maniac. Although the disgust in Kesla's face was obvious, she pretended she didn't notice.

After I felt like I couldn't eat another bite, out came desserts. Kesla attempted to explain again. "Okay! So, we have tiramisu, a raspberry torte, some c-" Clove was the one who wasn't interested this time. "Kesla! Could you just be quiet and let us eat!"

Me and Brutus stared at her in awe. Kesla, turning bright red, grabbed a slice of the torte and ate quietly. While we all quietly munched on our desserts, Brutus put his fork down, cleared his throat, and stood up.

"So: Who's ready to see their competition?"


	4. Chapter 4

We all stood up and walked to the next car over. Turns out that flat thing was a TV, and Brutus went and slid a disc into the side of it. He sat back down and pressed a button on something called a 'remote control.' Like magic, the screen is illuminated with diamonds and gold. Clearly, we're watching the reaping of District 1.

Two seventeen year olds, Glimmer and Marvel, were chosen. The differences in their personalities were outstanding. Glimmer, who was pouting and standing in a pose to accentuate her figure, was clearly trying to look sexy. As opposed to Marvel, who looked so excited I thought he might pass out. Clove reached over and pinched my arm. Clearly, Marvel and Glimmer were allies. We were all a team, 'The Careers.'

I stopped paying attention to the rest of the reapings. I thought I was about to fall asleep when I was jolted by Brutus, who simply pointed at the screen. The District Twelve reaping. What's so special about them anyway? They're always the first to go.

A little girl was picked. She barely looked twelve. As she's walking up, another girl runs up and is stopped by the peacekeepers. What caught everyone off guard however, even the citizens from Twelve, was when she shouted "I volunteer as tribute!" I felt my mouth drop open. Something like this has never happened in District Twelve. Her name is Katniss. She could be a potential ally. She seems strong. I paid more attention to the District twelve kids. Katniss and Peeta. Marvel and Glimmer, Cato and Clove, and Peeta and Katniss. Could these people really be my allies? As if he knew what I was thinking, Brutus slapped me in the back of the neck.

"Don't even think about teaming up with the kids from Twelve," He scoffed. Clove stared at me with her empty eyes, and Kesla looked mortified.

"Well, why not?" I said defiantly, rubbing the back of my neck, "They both look strong. They could be useful."

"Oh Cato, dear, no they won't! They haven't been training like you have, love," Kesla soothed, patting my shoulder, "You could easily kill them at the Cornucopia if you want."

I shoved her hand off my shoulder and went back to my sleeping car. I slammed the door and ripped the shirt to shreds. I kicked the shoes off and threw them out the window. I don't even know why I was so angry. But I finally laid down and tried to close my eyes, a nearly impossible task when it was still daylight. So I sat by the window and watched the scenery, until we pulled into the train station, hordes of news reporters already waiting for us.


	5. Chapter 5

As the train slowed to a stop, there was a knock on my door. Before I even had time to get up, Kesla burst through. "Come now, Cato darling! We're here, and it's time to meet the press!" She was jumping up and down, clearly the most excited about the cameras. Then she noticed the torn up bits of shirt on the ground. "Cato, what did you do?" I just glared at her. She tried to perk up again. "Oh don't worry about it! I'll just grab you another shirt. Oh, and Clove another dress! Don't you worry love! I'll make it all better!" She pulled a random red button down out, with matching shoes. Then I heard her run into Clove's room to find a matching dress. I heaved myself out of bed and went out in the dining car.

Brutus was already there, waiting for us. Not knowing what to say to each other, we stared straight ahead at the doors until the women joined us. "There! Now don't you two look gorgeous? Come now dearies, stand side by side, link arms, there you go. Look tough! Come on, both of you! Tougher! There. Perfect! Are you ready?" I always thought you needed to breathe to talk, but Kesla has just managed to prove me wrong. Before we have time to say anything, she opened up the dining car doors.

Immediately I was blinded by flashing cameras and the bright colors of the Capitol. It looked nothing like how it did on TV. It's so much more… obnoxious in person. Men and women from left and right were screaming Me and Clove's names. I didn't know which direction to look. I felt a pinch on my arm, and looked to my right. Brutus was there looking straight ahead. I decided to follow suit, but added a stare so intense it started to scare the Capitol photographers.

We began walking towards a bright blue building that looked about 12 stories high. But before we could reach the door, we were pulled to the side by Brutus and Kesla. Standing by the side of the door were two Capitol citizens. Kesla pointed to the woman on the left.

"Clove, this is your stylist Jolan." Jolan gave a curt nod and began to look Clove up and down. She had a short jet black bob and neon pink eyeliner. I looked at the man standing next to her, apparently my stylist. "Cato, this is _your_ stylist Astin." Astin had spiked brown hair with frosted tips. His most notable feature though, was a green tattoo across his face. He almost hurt my eyes. Before I could even say hello, Astin and Jolan grabbed our wrists and dragged us into the building.

Turns out there were sixteen floors. The lobby was the first floor. Floors two through thirteen were the tributes apartments. Fourteen was the training center, and fifteen was the stylists area. We were immediately brought up to floor fifteen. In the elevator, Jolan spoke with the strongest Capitol accent I've ever heard. "The chariots are tonight. And we have the perfect idea for you two."

Clove's eyes sparkled as she gave them a smile. All I could do was nod. District Two is masonry, weapons. Although they make it look nice every year, ideas had to be running short by now. Astin ignores our expressions and continues. "District Two is masonry. You work with weapons, therefore you're skilled with weapons. You're warriors." He let the words sink in before facing the elevator door.

The doors open to reveal a huge metal room filled with cots and curtains. It looked like the hospital back in District Two. Jolan quickly stuck stickers on us. Clove's said 3. Mine said 4. As we passed the first two curtains, I peeked in: Marvel and Glimmer. I made eye contact with Marvel. He simply nodded at me before gritting his teeth as a member of his prep team rips off a chunk of his chest hair.

Jolan and Clove head behind the third curtain. I'm shoved into the fourth by Astin as I meet _my_ prep team. They never introduced themselves. They just went straight to work by immediately ripping off my clothes and putting some hot wax on a sheet of cloth and putting it on my chest.

A woman, whose skin was dyed pale pink, simply said 'Watch out!' before ripping it right off. I couldn't help but cry out the first time. Every follicle burned and throbbed. I barely had time to realize what had happened before she put another cloth on me. As one man began to work with my hair, the other started working on getting the dirt out from under my nails. When I went to ask Astin how long this would take, I noticed he had left. Perfect.

I watched outside the curtain to see the other tributes that came by. They all showed up in order. When I saw the District Twelve tributes, I attempted to nod at them. They avoided eye contact.

After what felt like hours, my prep team finally left, and Astin came back in with large chunks of gold and platinum. Clearly noticing the look on my face, he simply stated "This is your outfit," before pulling me up off the cot to put it on. It felt like I had gained an extra forty pounds. An announcement came on a loud speaker. "District One, please go out to your chariots." I heard the prep teams from District One taking care of last minute touches before sending them out. Three minutes later, the loudspeaker went off again. "District Two, please go out to your chariots." I was immediately pushed out of the curtains by Astin, and was met face to face with Jolan and Clove. Clove was wearing the same thing as me, albeit more feminine. We were put in front of a mirror. We looked like the Gladiators out of my history textbooks. Ready to face and conquer anything.

As we're in the elevator heading down to the lobby, Jolan gives us some last minute tips. "Look strong, look fierce. You're District Two. Capable of winning the whole games. Wave to the crowds. But don't look friendly. Fierce."

Instead of the front door, we were taken around to the back. A long line of chariots with different color horses we're out back. Marvel and Glimmer were in the first two, clearly anxious to get the parade started. They were wearing pink sequins everywhere. As tall as Marvel clearly was, Glimmer almost exceeded this with the ridiculous headpiece she was wearing. We were placed in the chariot right behind theirs.

As the stylists walked away, Clove immediately grabbed their attention. As they turned around, Clove introduced us. "I'm Clove, and this is Cato. And you two are Glimmer and Marvel." They looked annoyed. "What do you want?" Glimmer asked. Clove didn't seem phased by the attitude, instead got right to her point. "We're going to be allies. That's how this works. So meet us in the lobby after the parade to work something out."

"It's too obvious," Marvel snapped back. "Try somewhere more secrete." Now it was Clove's turn to look annoyed "Well, where else are we going to go? There's nowhere el-"

This was going nowhere fast. We can't make enemies with these two, and Clove was making it worse by the second. I decided it was time for me to take control "BE QUIET!" I bellowed, shutting up even the tributes behind us who have accumulated. "We'll meet on the third floor. That's our apartment. The only other people there are our escort and our mentor. It's the best place to go. Do you understand?" All three nodded their heads, and Marvel and Glimmer turned around.

I could tell Clove was looking at me, but I pretended not to notice. I looked straight ahead until Claudius Templesmith's voice reigned through the city.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your announcer Claudius Templesmith here to say: Let the chariot parade begin!"


	6. Chapter 6

*A/N: Thank you to everyone for the amazingly kind reviews This is my first REAL fanfiction, and I wasn't sure about it. But you guys seriously make me want to keep doing this for a long time. I really mean it. Thank you so much *

Roars of cheering errupted from all over the city, nearly deafening every tribute. As if by magic, the District One horses began to take the tributes down the pastel colored streets. District Two followed suits. I stared ahead at Marvel and Glimmer. Smiling and waving, you would think they had just won an award. Trying to appear as tough as I felt, I simply lifted my hand to people, while keeping the stone cold expression on my face. Clove quickly mirrored me.

It was hard to tell who the Capitol was really cheering for. I did hear my name screamed a few times. I felt like a celebrity. I could be President Snow himself. I flashed back to reaping day, when all of District Two was cheering for me. I felt on top of the world. It seemed everywhere we passed, people grew silent, their faces in awe. As proud as I was, I had a gut feeling that that wasn't for us.

We reached the halfway point of the parade. A giant circle where all the tributes stop for pictures before making our way back. As we wrapped around I noticed the deathly silence again. Looking up at the audience, I noticed they were looking at one of the other districts. Ten or Eleven maybe. As I turned to observe the obvious spectacle, I noticed…fire? Were there tributes on fire? When the chariot came to a stop, I flipped my body around to see what was happening.

There was Peeta and Katniss bringing up the rear of the parade. On fire, and apparently at ease with the whole situation. I felt my mouth drop open before Clove grabbed my elbow and pushed me back around. I tried my best to return to the cold stone expression, but it felt forced unlike last time, so I stopped. I stood there looking around. These people weren't cheering for me or Clove. Not even Marvel and Glimmer. They were cheering for Peeta and Katniss. The District Twelve tributes. I was irked to no end, and the icy expression came back naturally.

As we made our way back to our apartments, I slowly felt myself getting more and more angry, and I wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the fact that District Two was supposed to be the popular choice for sponsors. With our attention that is being given to District Twelve, we won't get sponsors. Without sponsors, there's no way we'll survive the games. But I think the thing that made me most angry, was the fact that I wanted to be allies with them, and no one will let me. They clearly know what they're doing, and they seem strong. They'd be useful, but Brutus would never allow it. Nor would Kesla. Clove wouldn't even allow it.

As we pull back into the apartment complex, I realize that nothing about these games seem to make sense. But before I have time to ponder, I'm yanked off the chariot by Astin, with a smile so big you'd think he just witnessed the birth of his first child.

"You two were brilliant! Fierce, just like we said! Right Jolan?" At this Jolan nodded, trying to remain at ease. But you could tell by her flushed cheeks and the hint of a smile that she was just as excited as Astin, if not more.

They took us back to the top floor to remove our costumes. We were sent immediately to the third floor, our apartment. The room mimics the colors and glamour of the streets. It's just as gorgeous as every other Capitol owned item I've seen.

I was about to retire for the night when there was a knock on my door. "There's someone here to see you," Clove said before side stepping to let in two other tributes.

* * *

><p>"I'm good with a spear!" Marvel said, almost too excitedly considering the subject matter. "I've been working with one since I was nine."<p>

"What about you?" Clove said, pointing at Glimmer. "Nothing in particular, I work with tons of stuff." Glimmer responded, crossing her arms.

"I'm good with knives, and Cato… well, what are you good at Cato?" Clove questioned, and suddenly all eyes were on me. "Swords," I grunted, my thougths still preoccupied with the chariots. "I'm good with swords."

As Clove began discussing strategies, I thought of something: Clove isn't a leader. She wouldn't be able to lead the careers to victory. She wouldn't be able to lead _me_ to victory. If I'm going to get back home to Cora, I need to be in charge.

"Stop talking," I snapped, quickly shutting everyone up. With all eyes trained on me, it was clear I was, and will always be in control. "If you all want to win, you need to listen to me from now on. Are we clear?" Glimmer and Clove nodded. Marvel stood up. "We can't all win. One of us has to win. If th-" Before he could finish his sentence, I pushed him into a wall, covering his throat. "I don't want to hear any of your _shit_. Okay?" Before he had time to respond, I dropped him to the ground. "If we're going to be allies, you listen to me, and _only_ me. Understand?" As Marvel was about to make a defense, I cut him off. "Or I'll make sure you die in the bloodbath in the beginning. Marvel and Glimmer were terrified. Even Clove was terrified. Before anyone could say anything, I walked over to my door and opened it. "Get out." Everyone obliged.

I liked this power. I liked being in control. It was the only way to get home to Cora.

A reminder flashed in my head: Training starts tomorrow. Well now I can see how good my team really is.

Thinking of my family and life back home, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Morning came too soon, with Kesla knocking on my door. "Cato deary! We must wake up now! Training starts today!" she sang as she continued to use my door as a drum.

Groggy, I sat up and looked around. I only vaguely knew where I was. Then I remembered everything that happened yesterday. The chariots, the career meeting, and my fury. A part of me felt guilty. But I knew that if I was going to see Cora again, it had to be done. With concience cleared, I rolled out of bed and went to the dining room in my sleep pants.

Clove refused to make eye contact all through breakfast. The obvious tension disturbed Kesla, who tried too hard to make conversation. "Oh! Clove, did you tell Cato you saw the chariot parade today on TV? Maybe you could show it to him! Come now love, I'll help you set it up!" After an awkward silence, Kesla mumbled something inaudible and continued to eat her eggs.

After I stuffed my face with things like crepes, quiche, and caviar, I went back in my room. On the bed waiting for me was a black shirt with red accents and matching pants. The shoulders on the shirt had a number two on either side. My training gear. I quickly put it on and went to the TV to watch the Chariot parade.

Brutus sat with me and taught me how to control the remote controller. When I figured out how to fastforward, I skipped ahead to the close up of Katniss and Peeta. "That wasn't real fire. What was it?" I asked skeptically. Brutus was quick to reply. "Beats me," he scoffed, clearly annoyed with my fascination of the District Twelve tributes. "Why don't you ask them during training? In fact, go and bring Clove in here. I need to discuss some things with you." Wanting to no longer be in a room alone with Brutus, I ran in the dining room to get Clove.

When we got back to the TV, Brutus was standing right in front of it, eyeing it intently. He was so close that I couldn't see the screen, but I figured it was us due to the flashes of gold I caught every now and then. With a purpose, Brutus paused it on a closeup of our faces. We looked… terrifying. Our faces were hard and cold. Brutus stared at the picture for a few moments before turning and starting his speech.

"I hear that some people in the Capitol think it could be down to the two of you on the first day. They like you. They think you both have huge potential in winning." He paused for a moment, trying to sort his thoughts into complete sentences. You could see the gears in his head turning before continuing. "But, you guys still have a lot of work to do before you can win these games." With that, he skipped ahead to the circle area of the parade. The part where I first noticed the District Twelve tributes. He paused it again on our faces. This time, we were noticeably nervous. Caught off guard. This time Brutus looked angry. "If you guys want sponsors, you need to get your heads in these games. No one will sponsor you if you appear weak." His voice began to rise. "That!" At this he turned and pointed to our faces. "Is weak! You guys might as well be hopeless now! YOU BETTER IMPRESS AT TRAINING, YOU BETTER GET GOOD SCORES, OR YOU CAN FORGET ABOUT ME EVER HELPING YOU GUYS!" Spit flew out of his mouth and onto our faces. I've never been so genuinely terrified of a man before I met Brutus.

Brutus sat down on the coffee table in front of the sofa we were on. Mere inches from us, he quickly turned and pointed to Clove. "YOU! What's your talent?" Clove turned pale "K-k-knives."

"Then for training you touch on everything _but_ knives. Spend a little time at the knives, just enough to scare the other tributes. Then, when your being judged, go straight for the knife. They'll have one. Show them just how well you can weild it." Clove simply nodded.

Brutus immediately turned his whole body to face me. "And what about you Davis? What are you good at?" I decided at the beginning of this speech I wasn't going to take any of his shit. He wants a fighter, he's got a fighter. "Swords." I stated, refusing to break eye contact with Brutus. "Well then you do exactly what I told Clove to do, but with a sword. Understand?" I gave my head a curt nod.

Seemingly satisfied, Brutus stood up, popped a few more pills, then waved us to the door. "Well then get off your asses. Training is starting soon. I'll take you there." He led us back to the elevator to take us to the fourteenth floor. When the doors opened, there were weapons and tools scattered around. It reminded me of my backyard training center back home. I couldn't help but smirk. I knew I had this in the bag.

The first thing they made us do was stand in a group listening to one of the trainers explain the rules. I honestly couldn't care less. I was just excited to get started, to show everyone just what I was made of.

The second she released us, I walked straight to the sword and dummys. A trainer was there ready to shake my hand. "Hi, my name is Kyran. I'm the sw-" Before he could finish I had grabbed a sword and began messing with the dummy, just as I would at home. Clove and Kyran watched, simply impressed. After I completely mangled the dummy I looked around the room. Many tributes were staring at me. A few even had their mouths hanging open. I smiled, stuck the sword back in the dummy, and moved to the next station.

I skimmed through the rest of the stations. Things like camoflauge and spears didn't interest me. I did stop for a while at the plant station. If anything would be useful, it'd be knowing what to eat in the arena. I walked over to where Marvel and Glimmer were. "Go to the plant station. Make sure you know what you're doing." Although Marvel looked defiant, he eventually followed Glimmer. I found Clove and told her to go there as well.

When the day ended we went back down to our apartment. Over a dinner of filet mignon and a weird drink that Kesla called 'cola,' we discussed what happened in the training center. Brutus looked impressed. "Good. Keep it up." As an afterthought, he turned to me. "No sword tomorrow. You already showed off. Try everything else out. You still have two more days before the scoring. Make sure you know what you're doing." I grimmaced before leaving to go back to my room.

I layed in bed with a million thoughts running through my mind. One of the main things though was Marvel. He was going to be trouble in the arena, I could already tell. He didn't want to listen to me. Although for now he did, who knows what would happen once hunger and the environment takes over his mind. But then again, who's to say that won't happen to me as well?

I shuddered, quickly erasing that thought from my mind. I was afraid to become brutal. I know Cora will be watching, and I don't want her to think I'm a bad person. When I win and come home, she wouldn't speak to me. She'd be horrified to be around me. However, I knew that if I was going to get back home to her, it might have to happen.

I scrunched my eyes closed, trying to delete the potential Cato that could emerge in the arena out of my head. When that failed, I went and took a shower. It felt like an hour before I was finally too exhausted to stand up. Grudgingly, I walked back to my bed, and fell asleep as my head touched the pillow.


	8. Chapter 8

*A/N: You all are, once again, so sweet thank you so much for all of the kind reviews Have you guys seen the movie yet? It was amazing! *SPOILER ALERT* I will be incorporating the speech Cato gave at the end of the movie in this fanfiction. It was so good and I loved that they gave him human qualities So thank you everyone again*

Training got boring very quickly. It was the same stations over and over and over again. I got into a routine. I would use the sword for a few minutes. Then I'd go to the survival stations. I just wanted training to be over. I wanted to get in the arena. I just wanted to go home.

The next day was scoring. Brutus made sure we knew what we were doing. "So you're sure you're good with knives?" Clove rolled her eyes and nodded, with an added "I think I know what I'm doing by now Brutus." The intense stare he gave her made her back down. He then turned to me. "An-"

"Swords. I got it Brutus. Don't worry." I replied with a smirk. Brutus stared into space. When he came back, he popped two more pills, and then led us out to the elevator. When we got up to the training center, the other tributes were already there. We sat down in the available seats at the front. Before we could get ourselves situated, Glimmer was called in to begin.

Nerves were clearly shot with all tributes. It was deathly silent, and everyone was staring at their feet. I started to zone out, thinking of what I was going to do once I get in there. However my name was called too quickly and I was rushed back into the familiar training center.

There on the stands was Seneca Crane, the head gamemaker, and his… friends? Peers? I don't know who any of these people are. Trying to look confident and threatening, I picked up a sword on the stand in the middle of the room. I grabbed a dummy from the side of the room and slid it to the center. Making sure they were all watching me, I began.

Imagining I was back at home in my backyard, I began to practice the maneuvers and strategies I knew so well. After what felt like three seconds, I was done. The dummy was completely mangled. As everyone stared at it, it's head slid off and landed by my feet. I picked it up and threw it at my audience. Some of them looked horrified. Others looked intimidated. Before they could say anything, I uttered a simple "Thank you" and left the room.

* * *

><p>The next day the scoring was announced. Brutus, Kesla, Clove, Astin, Jolan, and I were all seated around the TV, anxious to see just how well we did.<p>

Ceaser Flickerman came on the screen to announce the scores. Marvel came up first with a score of nine. Not bad at all. Glimmer came up with a score of eight. I honestly didn't care though, as my face came on the screen right after hers.

"We have Cato here, with a score of… ten!" Ceaser exclaimed, and I suddenly felt on top of the world. Everyone was cheering and slapping my back. Kesla pulled me in for a hug, which for once I didn't mind. As if knowing we were celebrating, Ceaser paused before continuing.

"District Two female Clove got a score of… ten!" The whole District Two team was ecstatic. Kesla pulled Clove into a hug as well. When they broke apart, she began to cry. "Oh… Come here sweeties!" She cried as she pulled us both in a crushing hug. "This calls for a celebration!" she continued. "Let's go and have some dessert!"

We were so excited that we didn't hear the rest of the scores being called. Brutus was the only one watching intently. You could tell he was nervous.

About ten minutes after we started eating dessert, Brutus came running back in. "Those District Twelve kids are good. An eight, and an eleven."

Kesla gasped. I felt my mouth gape open. Clove's eyes went wide. No one's scored an eleven in years. Let alone someone from Twelve. I felt my face get red. "So, why can't we be allies with them again? I mean if they're so good, they'd be usef-" At this, I was cut off by Brutus when he picked me up and shoved me into the wall. Before I had a chance to fight back, he pinned me by the neck. "You want to know why? Because they'll be _useless_. They wouldn't _want_ to be allies with you anyway. They're _scared_ of you. They don't _trust_ you. District Twelve hasn't trained like you have. Even with those scores, I can _promise_ you that they'll be the first ones gone." He let go of me, and I fell to the floor.

I stood up, rubbing my bruising neck. "I don't have to listen to you, you know." I shouted. "I can team up with them anyway. Fuck the careers." At this Kesla gasped, covered her ears, and ran out of the room.

"Oh yeah boy?" Brutus threatened. "Well then good luck winning without any sponsors. Because if you do that, I can assure that you won't get _shit_ in the arena." With that, he walked back to his bedroom. I went to opposite way to mine, and slammed the door.

I picked up anything I could find and smashed it into the wall. I had two options. I could either defy Brutus and ally with District Twelve, in the meantime losing all sponsors. Or, I could go the route I wasn't entirely sure of.

And then I knew that was the only way to go.

If I'm going to win these games, I will have to kill Katniss Everdeen.


	9. Chapter 9

*A/N: I got one review that I would like to clarify. It said 'I really loved this, but the only thing is you said that Brutus was the victor of the 52nd Hunger Games, technically meaning that there hasn't been a victor from district 2 in 22 years. Which is highly unlikely, seeing as they basically win every two or three years.' I know D2 wins a lot. I didn't mean that they haven't had a victor since then. The way I always kind of pictured the whole mentor thing, is the same person is mentor until they pass away, and then the next victor goes on. So like, if Haymtich dies, Katniss and/or Peeta would be mentors. Does that kind of make sense? That's kind of how I thought of it. Did Suzanne Collins ever explain how that works, I don't know. Because I have trouble picturing a younger victor mentoring. I just always pictured them older. I hope that makes sense. Now please enjoy chapter 9 :D*

The next day, Brutus called me and Clove into the dining room. "Your interviews are tomorrow night. We need to talk about the angles you're going to sell." He popped some pills before continuing. "You both are ruthless fighters. You both know you're here to win. Show that. Cato, be ruthless. Make the audience fear you. Clove… Sly might be your key. Look tough, but not too tough. Leave that for Cato." We both nodded before leaving for our bedrooms.

I laid in bed thinking: Ruthless. Tough. Fear. These are the words that apparently describe me. This is what the Capitol thinks I am. This is what all of Panem thinks I am. I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. That will gain sponsors, which is always a good thing. But, what does Cora think of me now? She gets frightened so easily. Does she watch me at home and get scared and cry?

Tears sting my eyes as I roll over on my stomach and cover my head with a pillow.

I must've fallen asleep, because next thing I know I'm being shook by Kesla. "Come on Cato darling, up now! It's time to get ready for your interview! I let you sleep in love, but it's time to get up now!" I sat up and gave her a small smile. "Thanks Kesla. I'll be out in a second." Satisfied, she quickly leaves the room to go roust Clove.

After we both got up, we were sent immediately to the 15th floor to meet with Jolan and Astin. There was not much the prep team could do to me now ever since the chariot parade. So after my hair was styled, Astin came back in with a dark gray suit, a blue dress shirt, and black dress shoes. My Interview outfit.

I threw it on and he made some last minute adjustments. A short while later, the speakers came on. "Will the District One tributes please come down to the lobby." Hesitant, I asked Astin for advice. Whispering, I asked "How do I look menacing? How do I make the whole country scared of me? How do I make the other tributes scared of me?" He smirked. "You already have, Cato."

"Will the District Two tributes please come down to the lobby."

Astin took my elbow and led me out to the elevator. I must look as nervous as I feel, he normally isn't this nice to me. But what did he mean, _you already have_? Am I really that bad? Do I really scare people? "What did you mean by that? What did I do to make people scared?" Astin simply smirked. He placed me in the elevator with Clove. With a simple "Just be yourself," he was gone.

Clove and I looked at each other. "Wow. You look stunning." I said, and I genuinely meant it. Everything, from the hair to the dress to the shoes complimented her. Her cheeks turned red as she looked down at her feet. "Um, thank you."

Kesla and Brutus were waiting for us by the elevators doors in the lobby. They immediately ushered us out front to a car. We all climbed in the backseat and were driven to the other side of the city, the stage where the interviews take place.

As we got out to go wait in line, Brutus tried giving some last minute advice. "Clove, you are devious and powerful. Cato, you are brutal and bloody." With that, him and Kesla went to go wait in the crowd.

Brutal and bloody. Brutal, bloody Cato. The words kept playing through my head as the rest of the tributes got in line behind us. When the crowd began cheering, signaling Ceaser Flickerman's arrival, my stomach flipped. Clove grabbed my jacket and pulled, bringing my face right up against hers. "Confidence is key Cato." Brutal, bloody, confident Cato. Ugh. I'm not so sure about this.

I listened to Glimmer and Marvel's interviews. Glimmer was trying to pull off sex appeal. Marvel sounded confident and excited. Both could easily pull sponsors. When it was Clove's turn, I grabbed her hand and squeezed. "Good luck." I whispered. She turned and smiled before making her way onto the stage.

She did an amazing job of sounding cunning and dominant. I was genuinely impressed. When Ceaser shouts my name, I lunge up on stage, shake his hand, and sit down in the empty chair.

"Cato, Cato my boy, how are you?" Ceaser asked, laughing and patting my knee.

"Never better sir. How are you?" I asked, with what I hoped was a charming smile.

"Well listen to this folks, just as polite as he is handsome, am I right?" The Capitol roared and screamed my name. I smiled and waved, making the women all scream. "I'm doing quite well, my boy! Now Cato, talk to me about reaping day. You volunteered, why did you do that?"

"Well sir, I'm eighteen, and this is my last chance to bring honor to District Two," At this I turned towards the camera, tilted my head and smiled. "And I intend to do just that." People cheered from every direction.

"I'm sure they're all very proud of you! Do you have any type of strategy for the games?"

"Well, if I told you that sir, it wouldn't be very smart of me would it?" The crowd laughed. I looked at the camera again. "Just know that I'll do whatever it takes to get back home."

"A determined young man I see! Any special lady at home, Cato?"

I hesitated. "You… could kind of say that."

"Rather not discuss it I see? Very well then. A training score of ten! Goodness me, that's an impressive score! What did you do to get it?"

"I used a sword. Throughout training I've been known to handle a sword very well."

"Well clearly, if you received a ten! Is there anything you want your family and friends back home to know?"

"Well, just what I said before. I'm going to do whatever it takes to come back home to all of you."

"Ah, excellent. And perhaps a message to send to the other tributes, my boy?"

I looked directly in the camera again. "Watch your steps. Because I'm going home, even if that means you all can't."

Ceaser took my hand and shook it as we both stood up. "Excellent!" he chuckled and slapped me on the shoulder.

"Well ladies and gentlemen, let's please give it up for District Two's Cato!"


	10. Chapter 10

After I shook Ceaser's hand, I went backstage to Brutus, Kesla, and Clove. "Oh Cato dear! That was marvelous darling, truly marvelous!" Kesla said, pulling me into another bone crushing hug. Brutus shook my head. "Not really what I told you to do, but I liked it. You'll pull in sponsors that way boy." Clove didn't say anything. She just hugged me. I was thrown off guard. My face must've shown it, because Kesla signaled to hug back. I obliged, and I immediately thought of Cora. Even though I thought about her a lot, I never knew how much I truly missed her until now.

"Alright dearies, that's enough! We must go to bed now! The games start tomorrow! It's going to be big!" Kesla broke us apart and brought us on the elevator.

We went back to the third floor. I took off my suit and took a long shower. The games are tomorrow. I was having trouble wrapping that around my head. After my shower, I laid in bed and looked out the window, when there was a light knock on the door. Before I could say anything, Clove opened the door and stood there. "Hi." I said hesitantly, eyeing her up and down. Something was wrong. She just stood there, looking down at her feet. It felt like hours before she actually did anything. Still looking at the floor, she said "Do you ever just stop and think? About how wrong all of this is?" Her voice sounded broken, like she had just been crying.

I felt a lump in the back of my throat. I walked over to her, grabbed her hand, and pulled over to the bed. I sat her down and kneeled in front of her. She began to cry.

"Clove, it'll be okay." I said, trying to not sound as upset as I felt. "We're good. We know we're good. The Capitol knows we're good. The other tributes know we're good. We'll be okay, I promise."

"It's not about that." She sighed, grabbing my hand and squeezing to keep more tears from spilling over. "It's about… Well… This is wrong Cato. This is _so_ wrong."

"What do you mean?" I asked, genuinely confused. This is normal. There isn't anything wrong about it. Clove was quiet, looking at me like I just grew an extra head.

"They're making us kill each other, Cato! How is that not wrong?"

"But Clove, it's just… it's just what happens. It's how it's always been, and it's how it always will be. It's normal." She began to cry again. "It shouldn't be this way." I reached over and hugged her, trying to soothe her. She kept saying it over and over, whispering to herself. "It shouldn't be this way… It shouldn't be this way."

Once again, I thought of Cora. What I would do if this was her and not Clove. Tears ran down my face. "Clove, you need sleep. Just sleep here tonight. I'll stay with you."

I picked her up and placed her in the center of the bed. I took an extra pillow and blanket and laid on the floor next to her. I could still here her sniffling, so I held her hand. When her breathing became more steady, I began to think.

What does she mean "this is wrong?" There's nothing wrong about the norm. It's just how it is. We all want to get home, and only one of us can. But Clove was truly upset about all of this.

Right before I fell asleep, I vowed to keep Clove safe for as long as I possibly could.

* * *

><p>Kesla began pounding on the door. Caaaaatooooo! Get up darling!" She opened up the door and stopped when she saw Clove in my bed and me on the floor. We fell asleep holding hands. "What is going on here you two?" She said with a sly smile on her face. I sat up. "Nothing. We just had rough nights is all."<p>

"Oh. Okay then. Well then up up you two! The games start today! You need to get ready!" With that she left the room.

I gently nudged Clove. "Come on. Let's go get breakfast," I said "Before we have to get ready."

She looked confused. "The games are today, aren't they?" She said, eyes going wide, suddenly remembering. I grimaced and nodded. "Let's just go get breakfast."

We both walked into the dining room. Brutus and Kesla were already there. Kesla was jumping up and down in her seat, clearly excited about the 'big day.' Brutus was taking more drugs than usual, popping a couple ever fifteen minutes or so.

I wasn't hungry. Neither was Clove. Kesla kept trying to feed us her eggs. "Come on now dearies, you need to eat! It's a big day!" We just stared at our empty plates.

"Alright you two, listen to me now. I'm going to do _everything_ in my power to get you both sponsors. You don't have to eat now. I'll make sure to get you two food. And medicine. Anything you need. Just give me a sign, and you'll get it. Understand?" Brutus meant business. It was almost touching. I look at him and nod.

I began to think about my 'team.' Kesla, Brutus, Clove, Astin, and even Jolan. It took me till this very moment to realize that these people do care about me. I got up and wrapped my arms around Kesla. She looked ecstatic. I moved on to Brutus. He looked appalled. "Touch me again and it'll be your last." He threatened. The slight spark in his eyes though signaled that he was joking.

We got down to the lobby and were taken into a ship, with two rows of seats along either side. The other tributes were already there. We took the only empty seats left. A woman with a giant syringe immediately came up to me. Before I could do anything she stuck the giant needle in my arm and pressed down. I cried out in pain. "Calm down," she said. "It's just the tracker. So we know where you are in the arena." She touched the watch on her wrist and spoke into it. "All tributes are now marked. Cleared for takeoff." The ship immediately got off the ground and flew for what felt like thousands of miles.

When it finally landed, we were in a basement. I was taken in a strange room that looked like a hospital. Astin was already waiting for me with my outfit. I quickly threw it on and gave him a hug. He patted my back. "You can do this Cato. I know you can." As we pulled apart, he looked me dead in the eye and smiled. "Fierce." I laughed and we both walked to the other side of the room, where a giant tube was. He put me inside of it, saluted, and walked back to a cot in the back corner.

All of a sudden, a countdown started.

_Sixty, Fifty Nine, Fifty Eight… _

I must've looked scared, because Astin gave me a reassuring smile. I saw him mouth 'good luck' before the floor below me began to rise. Astin got smaller and smaller until it completely went dark around me.

_Forty Five, Forty Four, Forty Three…_

I began to feel claustrophobic. I thought I was going to be sick. Until I saw a small bead of light right above my head. I leaned against the side and took deep steady breaths until I got closer.

_Thirty Nine, Thirty Eight, Thirty Seven…_

My head broke the surface of the light. The arena. The cornucopia, with weapons all around. I began to look for my weapon. Against the side of the cornucopia were swords. At least fifteen of them. I knew where I was going.

_Twenty Four, Twenty Three, Twenty Two…_

I looked at the other tributes. I first saw Clove and stared at her. We both made eye contact and nodded. She pointed to the left, to a place behind the Cornucopia. Then she pointed straight ahead, to Glimmer. That must mean Marvel was behind the Cornucopia. I saw Katniss about six people down from me. I couldn't think about killing her yet until I got my swords though.

This was it. There was no turning back. I need to make my family proud. I need to bring honor to my district. I need to get home to Cora.

_Nine…_

_Eight…_

_Seven…_

_Six…_

_Five…_

_Four…_

_Three…_

_Two…_

_One…_


	11. Chapter 11

The cannon sounded, and I bolted for the cornucopia. I was focused, never taking my eyes off the swords. I was the first to reach the cornucopia, so I got my choosing. I grabbed a sword, and turned around.

Someone was charging at me with a knife. District Six maybe? I simply stuck out my sword, they ran right into it. I knew that now that I have my weapons, I need to go find Clove, Glimmer, and Marvel. I left this kid for dead, making sure to step on their neck as I walked away.

I tried to remember. _Brutal, bloody Cato_. I'm going to get home, no matter what it takes.

It was a bloodbath, just like every year. I found Marvel repeatedly stabbing a boy, even though he was already dead. I yanked him away. "Go and find backpacks and food." I shouted, making sure he could hear me over the sounds of the cannon and screaming. "Then meet us back over here." He nodded and ran off.

I found Glimmer and Clove next, already side by side with their weapons. Clove had her knives, Glimmer had a bow and some arrows. From behind them, someone was running at them, with clearly one thing on his mind. District Four boy, that much I knew. With no hesitation I flung my sword at him, directly between Glimmer and Clove. He dropped down, the cannon fired, and I ran to go retrieve my weapon. The girls stared at me in awe.

We ran back to the cornucopia, killing a few more people in the process, where Marvel was already waiting for us. "Are we ready?" They all nodded. "Good, then let's head for the forest."

"I'm not done here yet!" Marvel yelled. He ran away, after the District Three girl. Looking at the ladies, I smirked and chimed in with a "He's got a point!" before running off to find more victims.

I found Marvel and the two of us prowled around the Cornucopia, stabbing at anything that moved. I noticed Clove and Glimmer coming around the other way, covered in blood. They must've had fun with it too. In total, the four of us must've killed at least ten people. We run off into the forest together, supplies in hand and covered in blood.

We head deep into the woods, and immediately start a fire. I turned to Marvel. "What did you grab?" He pulls out three backpacks, two are filled with food. One has knives and rope in it. "It's the best I could do," He explained. "Too chaotic. And this stupid kid started running at me, I had to stop him."

"Yeah, whatever. Fine. It's good." I said. I didn't care at this point honestly. I remembered what Brutus said. _Anything you need. Just give me a signal, and I'll get it for you. _As long as Brutus was there, we'd be okay. "Let's just scope out the arena for the rest of the night. Split up in pairs, and then meet back here when it gets dark. Anyone you see, you can kill."

Everyone, even Clove, smiled at that. Marvel and Glimmer immediately took a backpack and ran. I grabbed the other two backpacks, smiled, and nodded in the direction we would be going. "C'mon. Let's check everything out." She smirked and nodded before following me.

Once we got deeper in the woods, I asked Clove how she was doing. Shrugging, she said "It's different once you're out here. I'm not thinking about right or wrong right now. I'm thinking about going home." I nodded in agreement. "You're right. That's all anyone here wants, isn't it?" At this, she stiffened up. I grabbed her elbow and kept moving her along.

On the way we found a river, some good climbing trees, and a couple of caves. Nothing really too exciting except for the river. Slightly disappointed, we turned back to meet Marvel and Glimmer. They were both already waiting for us. "Let's just sleep for the night. We'll do some more tomorrow." I stated. Everyone obliged, even Marvel, who already looked like he was ready for more 'hunting.'

I used my jacket as a pillow against the cold hard ground and tried to sleep. I was jostled by Clove. "Can I maybe… umm…" She was having trouble getting the words out. "Maybe…" I knew exactly what she wanted. "Of course you can." I said with a slight smile. Looking relieved, she laid down next to me and used my chest as a pillow. Within minutes both of us were fast asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

I opened my eyes. There was my old bedroom, metallic decor and all. I sat up and squinted, looking around. Nothing seemed different. But something didn't seem right. My father barged in, just like every morning, with a smack on the head. "Cato! Get up, you have to train!"

"Dad, I just woke up, I don't wa-"

"DAMMIT CATO! You get up and train right now!" He punched me, multiple times in the chest. I attempted to push him away to no avail.

I woke up. There was Clove, elbowing me in the chest. "Dammit Cato! Wake up!" She sounded frantic. I opened my eyes and sat up. Right in front of me, being tied to a tree by Glimmer and Marvel, was Peeta, the District Twelve boy. I immediately grabbed my sword and stood up. "NO! No please don't kill me! I'm here to help you guys!" He panicked, trying to trash against the rope holding him back.

"He's been saying that since he got here, I think he's bullshitting us." Marvel said. "Hold on!" I said, making the District One tributes immediately stop. I walked right up to Peeta, getting as close as possible. Looking down on him, and in my most threatening voice, I said, "What do you mean _help_?"

"I know that Katniss is your biggest threat! I can find her for you! I can help you kill her!"

This took all of us aback. "How the hell do you know where she is?"

"Didn't you see my interview?" We all shook our heads no. We never even thought of watching the interviews. We figured they didn't matter.

"I… love her. I always have. We kind of have a… thing going. I know how her mind works! I can help you!" He was running short on breath, the anxiety taking a toll on him.

I stepped back and thought long and hard about it. If he knows where Katniss is, I can kill her, eliminating my biggest threat. And I always kill Peeta right after. I'd most definitely kill Peeta right after. But, would Brutus still get me sponsors if I allied with a lower district, fake or not? It was a chance I was willing to take.

"Fine, you're in. But you better know what you're doing lover boy." He smiled, nodded, and freed himself from the ropes. "Where do we start?" I asked menacingly.

"This way! I saw she set up an animal trap over here. It's definitely hers." He began walking away from our campsite. I looked at my other allies. They all looked very weary of the whole idea. "Come on. Let's follow him." They quickly obeyed. As we were walking though, Clove pulled me down to face level again. "Are you sure about this Cato? I don't trust him. And remember Brutus sa-"

"I know what Brutus said Clove." I said through gritted teeth. "But I have a feeling he can lead us to Katniss. She's our biggest threat. Once we find her we can kill him anyway." I stood up tall and jogged up to Marvel.

"Did you stay up last night? Did you see how many died last night?" I asked. "Yeah," he grumbled. "Twelve in total." I spoke up for everyone to hear. "See guys? We're already half way done!" Glimmer cheered, Clove smiled, and even Marvel smirked. Peeta didn't do anything. Just stared straight ahead and kept walking.

* * *

><p>As night fell, we all grew tired. "Hey lover boy!" Glimmer shouted, making Peeta turn around. "You said you knew where she was? Why haven't we found her yet?"<p>

"I promise, I'll find her!" He said, refusing to make eye contact. "Alright, you know what? Everyone stop!" I shouted. "We're all exhausted. Let's just set up camp here for the night an-"

"CATO! Cato look!" Marvel shouted, pointing up in the sky. Smoke. Everyone turned to me. I put my finger to my lips and lightly stepped around, trying to make as little noise as possible.

When we finally reached the fire, we saw the District Eight girl. She was trying to warm herself up. I stuck my hand out and put one finger up. Then two. On the third finger, we all jumped out of the bushes and stood behind her.

When she turned around and saw us, she screamed bloody murder. It was cut short though as my sword went through her throat, blood spurting out in all directions, silencing her forever. The cannon fired shortly after. "Lover boy, get her out of here. We'll use her fire as ours." I stated.

Peeta obliged, unwillingly. Picking her up and running about twenty feet down before disposing of her. When he came back he looked horrified and disgusted.

"You better find her tomorrow lover boy, understand?" I asked. "If not, we'll just kill you instead."

He gulped, but nodded. The sleeping arrangement was the same as yesterday, but this time I decided to stay awake until I heard the familiar Capitol anthem.

'The Fallen' was flashed across the sky and right after the picture of the District Eight girl was flashed, before the anthem ended and the sky went black again.

So she was the only one. Thirteen down. Eleven more to go. I smiled as I closed my eyes.

This should be easy.


	13. Chapter 13

The five of us got up at the crack of dawn to continue our hunt for Katniss Everdeen. It felt like we'd been walking for days, no breaks in sight. "What time is it?" Glimmer whined, almost tripping over an over-sized tree branch. "Noon-ish. The sun is directly above." Clove said, pointing at the sun as she shielded her eyes.

"Where is she?" I murmured to myself, as I walked directly alongside Clove. "Are you sure it was a good idea bringing him with?" Clove asked. "Look, it's our only way of finding Katniss." I then dropped my voice to a whisper. "And we'll kill him after anyway."

We finally reached the river, and stopped to drink, using our hands as cups. "Hey lover boy!" I shouted at Peeta who immediately dropped his hands down and looked up. "Where is she? You said you'd find her!" Dragging him along was getting us nowhere fast. If anything, he was slowing us down. I glanced at Clove who gave me an 'I told you so' look.

"I'm telling you! She's around here! I know she is!" Peeta sounded desperate. "Then why haven't we found her yet?" I said, dropping my sword and moving in closer to him. I puffed out my chest to make me seem bigger than I actually am. "I-I-I don't know!" Peeta said frantically. With that I pushed him into a tree. I saw Glimmer on my right side with one of her arrows.

"Hey guys! Look! Look there she is, look!" Marvel was jumping up and down and running into the river. On the other side was Katniss, scrambling out of the water. I charged after Marvel, running past him in a matter of seconds. "We're coming for you baby!" Marvel shouted as Glimmer and Clove caught up. We chased Katniss deeper into the woods where she climbed up a tree.

"C'mon Cato! Get up there!" Glimmer shouted, pushing me towards the tree. I grabbed the easiest branch and began making my way up the tree as fast as I could. Katniss was smaller, and therefore more agile, and was already at the top before I was even halfway there.

My friends were below me, cheering me on. "C'mon Cato!" "Kill her Cato!" "You can do it!" They pushed me farther and farther, until I was almost to the top. As I reached for the last branch before I reached my prey, it snapped under my weight and I fell down the twenty some feet I have already climbed.

I landed on my back and was immediately winded. Staggering back to my feet, Glimmer pulled out her bow and arrow. "I'll do it myself!" She grumbled, aiming at Katniss's head and shooting. Katniss ducked her head down and the arrow flew right past her. "DAMMIT!" Glimmer shouted chucking her bow at the ground.

"Why don't you throw the sword up here?" Katniss shouted, resting her forehead against the bark of the tree. I was getting furious. Why is it so hard to get a girl stuck in a fucking tree? "Why don't we camp out her for the night?" Peeta said, dropping his gaze to the ground as though he immediately regretted it. I walked right up to him again. "What do you mean, lover boy?"

"Well, she can't stay up there forever. She's gotta come down eventually. Either that or starve."

He has a point. Either way she'll die, no matter what we do. "Alright, fine." I stated. "We'll camp here for the night. Someone go start a fire." Marvel immediately ran off to look for firewood.

Night began to fall and there was no sign of Katniss coming down. It wasn't long until we all doze off.

* * *

><p>There she was. Standing right in front of me. Completely unarmed and unguarded. I go in for the kill. I charge at her with my sword, screaming as I stab her in the chest. Repeatedly jabbing at any place I can get at, over and over. The cannon sounded long ago, but I wasn't done. I slashed her throat. I stomped on her face. I kicked her. I sliced everything I could reach.<p>

The intercom buzzes, and Claudius Templesmith comes on. "Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you the winner of the 74th annual Hunger Games, Cato Davis!" As the speaker dies down, the interference is still audible. It begins growing louder and louder, until it physically hurts. I kneel down and cover my ears, trying desperately to block the sound. I began to scream, to no avail. No one was coming to save me. The buzzing and my screaming got louder and louder.

I wake up to a sharp pain on my face. The buzzing was still ringing in my ears, and I opened up my eyes. Tracker Jackers. I scramble up and run away, following Marvel and Clove. I turned around and saw Glimmer, face down on the ground, covered in welts and pus. I looked up. Katniss was nowhere to be seen.

I continued running, my face starting to burn. Everything became disoriented. The ground began spinning and I eventually fell. I saw Marvel and Clove close by. Marvel was leaning against a tree, furiously rubbing his temples. There were three, no, four Cloves, all covering their heads with their arms.

I saw Katniss run past. "Shit, c'mon guys." I slurred, attempting to get up, only to fall immediately. I began to army crawl towards where I last saw her. Suddenly she was right next to me. "Come and get me Cato. Or are you too weak? Too weak to get a girl from District Twelve?" She laughed and disappeared. My head suddenly felt like it was one hundred pounds. Everything was still spinning. I laid on my back and started at the sky, which was now purple with green stars all around it.

When I open my eyes I immediately feel disoriented. I sit up quickly and look around. There was medicine on my arm that I wiped off frantically.. "Cato! Calm down!" Clove shouted, kneeling beside me and shaking my shoulders. "It's okay, you're okay now! You're all better I promise!"

"Whe-Whe- Where's Marvel? And Peeta? And Glimmer? And Katniss?"

"Katniss dropped a Tracker Jacker nest on us while we were sleeping. Peeta went running after her when she escaped. It killed Glimmer. And Marvel's right here." I look up to see Marvel leaning against a tree, digging through his backpack for more medicine. "Brutus sent us medicine," Clove continued. Dropping her voice to a whisper, she said. "It came with a note. 'Do that again, and it'll be your last.'"

"I'm gonna kill them both." I shouted, throwing Clove to the side and running into the forest. However, I was still disoriented from my experience with the Tracker Jackers, and fell down about twenty yards away. Clove was immediately by my side, and she sat me up against a tree. "Here, just rest for now. We'll figure it out tomorrow, I promise. Just rest." She put her backpack behind my head, and within minutes I was in a deep sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

It felt like I had only closed my eyes for a minute, but by the time I woke up the sun was already rising, signaling a new day. Clove was already up. "Good morning," she said sarcastically, smiling. "How long was I out?" I asked groggily. "About two days." She smiled and laughed. Tracker Jackers take a lot out of you. "Well why weren't you messed up then?" She shrugged. "Guess I wasn't stung as much as you. You did take a while getting up."

"Whatever, how many people are dead?" Clove paused for a moment to think. "I think about fifteen." I did the math in my head. Only nine more tributes. Just nine, and I can go home. I smiled to myself. "Hey Clove, where's Marvel?"

"I think he's out getting supplies. There's stuff lying around everywhere. When The Capitol comes to take the bodies, they don't take their stuff. I think he's just scavenging." Suddenly her eyes lit up. "I almost forgot! We've been putting all of our stuff by the cornucopia, in a big pile."

"WHAT? Clove, that's dangero-"

"AND ALSO!" She shouted over me, "We got the boy from District Three's help. You know all the bombs in the beginning, where if we leave our platform early they blow us up?" I nodded wearily. "Well, he rewired them. If anyone goes near our stuff, they're getting blown sky high." She was jumping up and down, as if she was excited by the concept. I have to admit, that was a great idea.

"And any sign of District Twelve?" She frowned, furrowing her brow. "Umm, no. I don't think so. We haven't seen them at least." I felt the anger boiling up inside of me. "Well, haven't you been looking for them?"

"No, Cato! We've been working on trying to get you better! Now that you're fine we'll look for them now!"

"Fine," I muttered. "I'm just going to go and look for supplies."

"But Marvel's alre-"

"I DON'T CARE!" I stormed off, leaving her behind. I chose not to look back, because I can only imagine what her face looks like.

After I was a few miles away I began to pick up some firewood. I don't know why I was so angry at Clove, but I was. And it wasn't just her. I was angry at everyone. Mostly I was angry at The Capitol. How dare they do this to me? How dare they throw all of these people in here? How dare they keep me from my family, from my little sister. I thought of Cora, and how her face must look when she watches me on here. How devastated and scared she must be. The familiar tears became to work their way back to my eyes, but I quickly shook them off and began looking for more wood.

As I got closer to the river I heard a twig crack. I dropped all the wood, pulled out my sword, and turned around, all in a swift motion. I looked all around me, squinting to try and see past the trees. I saw a motion out of the corner of my eye. I quickly flipped. Peeta.

"HEY LOVER BOY!" I shouted, stealth being the last thing on my mind now. Before he had a chance to turn around, I began to charge after him. When he saw me his eyes grew wide, like a deer in the headlights. He began to run away, but I was moving too quick for him. I tackled him to the ground and put my sword right up to his neck.

"You fucked us all up pretty bad, lover boy." I never broke eye contact. "You broke my trust. You put us out of commission for _days_. I'm going to kill you, and then I'm going to kill your stupid little girlfriend." His eyes grew wide.

And then I thought of something better. Something the normal Cato would never have thought of.

"No. Here's what I'll do." I said, moving the sword away from his neck. "I'm gonna cut you up really bad, understand? You're not gonna be able to move. I'm gonna leave you here. And then I'm going to find your little girlfriend, bring her here, and kill her in front of you. How's that sound?" Tears began to form in the corner of his eyes. "Please, no," he whispered. "Just kill me now, and get it over with."

I laughed, as if he just told the funniest joke in the world. "No, I like my plan better," I said. With that I took my sword and slashed his abs. He cried out in pain, and I laughed again. I began to slash at his face and arms until he was a bloody mess. I had to stop though, otherwise he'd bleed out before I could get to Katniss. "Just one more," I soothed, before digging the sword straight through his leg. About half of the blade went in before I dragged it down. He screamed, but was unable to do anything. "See you later, lover boy." I said with a charming smile, before running away to go find Katniss.

As I was walking away though, I stopped dead in my tracks. _What did I just do? _Normal Cato wouldn't have done that. Normal Cato, if put in that situation, would've killed him quickly and been over with it. This Cato made him suffer. It was torture. I tortured him.

I stopped breathing for a second, I had to lean against a tree. _I tortured him. _What has this place done to me? What has the Capitol done to me? What have my parents done to me? I'm a monster. A true monster.

I heard a strange beeping noise. A parachute. Other than the medicine, this is the only thing Brutus sent me. I opened up the silver box. In it was a box of matches and two small loaves of bread. One for me and one for Clove. On the bottom was a note.

_**That's my boy. – Brutus**_


	15. Chapter 15

I ran as fast as I could back to Clove. Trying to escape everything that had just happened. I began to argue with myself. If I did find Katniss, what would I do? A part of me said to kill her quickly and just leave Peeta for dead. Another part says to go through with my original plan. And even a third part of me is saying I should go back and kill Peeta, stop his suffering. I shook my head, trying to clear out all of the thoughts. I was losing my mind in this place.

When I got back to Clove, I refused to make eye contact. As confused as she was, she purposely didn't ask what was wrong. "Come on," she said. "I'm going to the cornucopia. Come with me." After about a twenty minute silent walk, I saw a giant pyramid full of supplies. "Holy shit." I was nearly breathless. "How did you guys find this much stuff?"

"I told you, it's lying around everywhere." She responded matter of factly. I saw Marvel coming out from behind the cornucopia, doing some intricate jumps to avoid the bombs. "We have a pattern," Clove explained. "I'll teach it to you later, but until then, don't go near the pile. We don't need you getting blown up." She lightly punched my arm and sat down in the grass by the District Three boy. I walked up to him. "What's your name?"

"J-J-Jace, sir." Sir? This kid looks like he's about ready to shit his pants. "Okay, Jace." I said, walking closer to him. "And what is it you did here?"

"W-W-Well, I took t-the bombs out of the p-p-platforms, a-and rewired them a-a-a-around the s-supplies." As nervous as he was, you could see a hint of pride in what he had done. "Okay then." I said. I quickly turned to Clove and Marvel. "And what do we give him in return?" Clove quickly replied. "Just food."

Just food, okay. I can handle that. This might actually work out. "Okay, fine," I say. "Let's just hang out here then. Maybe someone will be stupid enough to come by here." Marvel smirked and laid down in the grass. Clove and I quickly followed suit. It was the first time any of us had a moment of peace in the arena.

After about twenty minutes, Marvel shot up. "Guys! Guys look, over there! Look!" I sat up and looked. Smoke, and a lot of it. Before I could say anything, Marvel was already running for it. "C'mon guys! Come on!" I looked at Clove and the two of us laughed. As we began to run away, I turned to Jace. "You." He quickly stood attentive. "Keep watch while we're gone." With that I quickly caught up to Marvel and Clove.

Marvel was the first to reach the source of the smoke. "What the hell?" I heard him say. "What's wrong?" Clove asked. "There's no one here." Marvel replied. "And they were burning green shit."

As the other two began discussing, I began to think. One of the main things they taught us was to burn dead plants. Green plants would cause too much smoke, anyone would be able to find you. _Shit._

"Guys, come on. Let's head back to the supplies." The panic in my face must have been obvious, because Clove suddenly looked worried. Marvel however, seemed unphased. "No way," He said. "They're probably still around here. I wanna kill them."

"Okay, but I said go back to the supplies. So we're gonna go back to the supplies." I said, making myself as threatening as possible. "Okay, and I say, let's stay here and find this moron." Marvel said defiantly, puffing out his chest to make him seem bigger. I threw down my sword and shoved him into a tree. I pushed him down so I was taller than him for a change. "Are you an idiot?" I said, digging his back into the bark. "When I say go back, it means go back." Marvel shoved me off of him. Before I had time to react, he pulled his spear out and aimed it for my chest. "You know Cato? Sometimes I know what I'm talking about." I reached down and grabbed my sword. I was only vaguely aware of Clove screaming at us to stop.

Suddenly, an explosion. Multiple explosions. The three of us looked at each other, before bolting back to the cornucopia. When we got there, everything was destroyed. We had no more supplies.

"FUCK." I screamed at the top of my lungs and ran over. Clove and Marvel began scoping out the wreckage. I found Jace. He looked like he was ready to shit himself.

"YOU." I began walking towards him. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?" I threw my sword down and walked right up to him. He began to stammer some words out. "WHO DID THIS?" He was frozen. Before I could think, I grabbed his head between my hands and snapped his neck, silencing him forever. The cannon went off, and I immediately turned to Marvel. "YOU." Before he knew what was happening, I had tackled him to the ground with my hands around his throat. "THIS IS YOUR FUCKING FAULT. WE WOULD STILL HAVE EVERYTHING IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU." I lifted his head up from the neck and began slamming it into the ground.

I felt Clove's hands on my shoulder, trying to pull me off. "Cato, please! Stop!" Her voice was in near tears, and she sounded a lot like Cora. I immediately dropped Marvel and sat up, thinking of my baby sister.

I stood up, and pointed at Marvel. "Stand up." He quickly followed his orders. "Just get out of here. Just leave. Come back later tonight. And you better find some more god dammed supplies." Without saying a word, he grabbed his spear and ran off.

I looked at Clove. She grabbed my hand and pulled me back onto the grass. Before I could say anything she attempted to distract me.

"You know a lot of my friends had crushes on you back home," She smiled. "They thought you were amazing."

"Did they really?" She laughed. A real laugh. The first real laugh I've heard from her since the reaping. "Yeah they did. I mean what's not to like? You're strong, attractive, brave. I think every girl wanted you." I smiled a little before looking up at the sky.

"You know I never told you this before, but you remind me of my sister."

"I didn't even know you had a sister."

"She's six, so that's not surprising." I replied, laughing. The first laugh I've had since the reaping. "Her name's Cora... She was so upset when I volunteered. She cried when she said goodbye… I told her I'd come home to her. I _promised_ her I would." Clove looked at me with sympathetic eyes. "You love her a lot, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do." Tears threatened to fall down, and for once I didn't mind. Clove shifted over towards me and put her hand over mine. "I noticed at the reaping how much you look like her. Hell, sometimes you even act like her." She smiled at this. "I swore I would do as much as I could to protect you in the arena. For Cora."

Clove didn't say anything. She simply laid her head in my lap and closed her eyes, not letting go of my hand. We stayed there, not moving, embracing the silence. Suddenly a cannon went off. Another one shortly after. Clove didn't move though, and when I whispered her name, I noticed she fell asleep. I kept my sword on hand and kept guard for her. She didn't wake up until night fall.

As we were about to get up and look for food, the anthem began, and 'The Fallen' flashed across the sky. Marvel's face was first. Clove squeezed my hand, visibly upset. The only other person was the little girl from District Eleven. I think her name was Rue. The anthem died down and the sky was dark again.

Shortly after a parachute came down again. In it was more bread. Our dinner. On the bottom was another note.

_**Only five more to kill. – Brutus**_

Five more to kill. I think for a moment. Both from District Twelve. The guy from District Eleven. The girl from District Five. Me and Clove. Six more people. Five left to kill.

Me and Clove looked at the note, wondering the same thing.

Who was this note intended for?

Which one of us did Brutus want to die?


	16. Chapter 16

"Attention tributes!" Claudius Templesmith's voice booms down through the arena. "Congratulations on being one of the final six tributes! There has been a rule change within the games! Under this new rule, there can be two victors, _if _both are from the same district. Thank you, that is all."

Two victors? Me and Clove can both go home! I begin to shake her shoulders. "Clove! Clove wake up!" She quickly bolts up and grabs her knife, shifting her eyes to find the immediate danger. "Calm down, there's nothing here. They just made an announcement. We can both go home!"Her look of shock quickly turned to confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Claudius Templesmith just came on the announcements! If we're the last two tributes, we can both go home!" Her smile lit up her whole face. "Are you serious?" I couldn't help but laugh. "Yes I'm serious! Come on, let's get going. We got to find food."

"And some other tributes." She said slyly. I nodded, and the two of us began our walk through the forest. However, hours went by and we came across nothing. Clove was clearly tired, tripping over twigs and rapidly falling behind.

"You know what," I stopped and turned towards her. "Let's just stop here for the night. It's getting dark anyway, we won't be able to find anything."

"But Cato, I'm so hungry." She quietly moaned, grabbing her stomach. "It'll be okay!" I grabbed her shoulders and tried to hold her up. "Maybe Brutus will send something! Or maybe we'll find something!" Clove couldn't hear me though. After hours of walking with no food for the day, she was beginning to pass out. Against my better judgment, I gently placed her on the ground, and left her there to search for food.

Making sure to stay close by, I stalked the area looking for anything that could potentially be salvaged as a meal. Other than some Nightlock, which could kill us in a minute, there was nothing. Defeated, I made my way back to Clove, and fell asleep next to her.

"Attention tributes!" I was jolted awake by Claudius Templesmith. The sun was only just setting. I must've only been asleep for a couple of hours. "Congratulations on being one of the final six tributes! Commencing at sunrise, there will be a feast tomorrow at the cornucopia." Claudius was silent as I sunk in what he said. "Now hold on. Some of you may be declining my invitation. But this is no ordinary feast. Each of you needs something. Desperately." _Food._ "Each of you will find that something in a backpack marked with your district number, at the cornucopia, at dawn. Think hard about refusing to show up. For some of you, this will be your last chance."

I turn to Clove, ready to wake her up and tell her the news, when I see she's already up. "They'll have food" She said steadily. "Exactly what I was thinking." I smirked.

"I can go in and get it." She looked determined, ready to fight. Not like the girl I saw a few hours earlier, fatigued and starving. "Absolutely not." I said sternly. "You're too weak right now. I'll go and get it."

"No. Let me do this." She wasn't going to back down anytime soon. I sighed. "Okay then. Here's our plan. You go in and get our backpack. I'll be in the forest on the edge of the cornucopia, watching you. If you're in any danger, I'll come save you."

"I don't need your saving! And don't stand too close to the edge. You don't want anyone to see you. So you stay here. I'll go in the morning, and I'll be back before you know it!" She smiled, then laid back down to get more sleep.

* * *

><p>I woke up a little earlier then Clove did. I laid there pretending to sleep, waiting for her to get up. When the sun began to rise and she still didn't budge, I jabbed her with my elbow, then rolled back over, pretending I did it in my sleep. I listened to her grab a backpack and walk away.<p>

After she was a safe distance away, I got up, grabbed my sword, and started following her. There was no way she was doing this alone.

When she finally got to the cornucopia, she waited in the forest for the right moment. I began to walk back a little ways, still within earshot of the cornucopia. I sat down aimlessly and began sharpening my sword with a rock, waiting for her. She'd be mad if she knew I was so close by, but better to be safe than sorry.

"CATO! CATO!"

"CLOVE!" I began running for the cornucopia. When I got there, Thresh was… bargaining with Katniss? As he ran away, he dropped a bloodied rock. On the ground, next to the cornucopia, was Clove.

"CLOVE!"

I ran as fast as I could towards her, but the feeling in my gut told me it was already too late.

I kneeled down next to her and grabbed her hand. "Stay with me, Clove!" Her breathing was shallow and uneven, and her hand was shaking in mine. "Y-Y-Y-Y-" I shushed her, tears spilling over my cheeks and onto her jacket. But she managed to get the words out. "Y-You h-h-have to w-win C-Cato. F-F-For C-C-C-Cora." I laid my head on her chest and cried. "I promise Clove, I'll win for you now. I promise."

A slight smile crept on to her face, and with that, she closed her eyes, took one final breath, and sounded the cannon.

As the cannon went off, reality hit. Sorrow turned to rage. I stood up and looked around. Without thinking I punched the side of the cornucopia repeatedly, leaving a dent in it. I turned to the table where the backpacks were sitting, and threw it to the ground. I broke off its legs and cracked it in half. With nothing else to destroy, I stopped and looked around. Our backpack, the only one left. Inside it was enough food to get two people through the next few days, and our chest pieces from our chariot outfits. I quickly put the armor on under my shirt.

The District Eleven boy. Thresh. He killed Clove. Katniss killed Clove. The Capitol killed Clove. Panem killed Clove.

I ran blindly into the woods, not knowing what I would come across. As I was running though I realized one thing:

I'm not Cato anymore. Any hint of Cato that was left has just died with Clove. This is a new Cato. A new man.

_A new monster._


	17. Chapter 17

*A/N: Last chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! :) It's still up in the air though if i'm going to do an epilogue or not. I have an idea for it, but i'm not 100% sure. So if you guys review it, just mention in the review if you would like an epilogue. I'm asking people on tumblr too so we'll see! Thanks so much for reading everyone!*

I crashed through branches and tripped over rocks, barely feeling a thing. I didn't even care about coming home anymore. As scattered as my thoughts were, one thing became clear: These games were wrong. My family was wrong.

I was raised for these games. My whole life revolved around these games. And for what? A chance of glory? A chance to make my family proud? It's just like the phrase 'get rich or die trying.' This was what these games were. I never got to live my life. Like really live it.

Without slowing down, I looked up. The sun signaled it was a little afternoon. Almost right after, I heard a twig snap. I came to a grinding halt and pulled out my sword. I could feel the fury burning my cheeks, stinging my eyes. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of movement. There was Thresh, running straight for me.

I had to kill him. Surviving his attack was the last thing on my mind. Even if he killed me, if I could get him first, I would be fine. I charged straight for him with my sword out. Fear swelled in his eyes as he began to turn around and run away. Unfortunately for him, it was too late.

I lunged onto his back and slit his throat with my sword. He fell on his knees, reaching for his neck. I wasn't finished. As he began to choke on his blood, he looked at me. Begging me to put him out of his misery. I knelt over him and whispered. "You killed Clove. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't make this as painful as possible?" His eyes went wide. I stuck my sword straight in his eye. The gargling noises coming out of his mouth began to slow and eventually stop. After I gouged out one, I went for the other. Blood was spattered all over my face and arm. The cannon sounded halfway through the first, but I didn't care. I was upset that he was already dead. He needed to suffer. If he couldn't suffer, then his family would have to do.

I began to hack at his arm, until I reached bone. One final cut and his arm was off and tossed to the side. Same with the other arm. Then his legs. And then his head. I threw them all away, stood up, and screamed. Once I was satisfied, I stood up and began to run, not giving the brutality a second thought.

The cornucopia. That's where I'd go. Somewhere I know. Somewhere that's easy for me to get to, and somewhere that no one can hide from me.

As I ran to the cornucopia, it began to get dark. Impossible. The sun was just overhead. But already it was setting. I got to the cornucopia and stood by it, daring anyone to come and find me.

A howl. Multiple howls. They sounded like dogs. I kept my guard up. Out of nowhere, a dog lunged at me, grabbing anything it could sink it's teeth into. With no problem I stabbed it in the chest and got it off of me. "Fuckin mutts…" I muttered under my breath. Its face, however, looked familiar. I bent down to look at it. Its eyes looked so familiar. Hearing more coming however, I jumped back up and looked around.

I couldn't believe my luck. Katniss and Peeta came running from the other way, climbing on top of the cornucopia to get away from three mutts. I climbed up behind them and punched Peeta in the jaw.

Ignoring him for the time being, I turned to Katniss, and went straight for her neck. I pushed her down and smashed her head into the cornucopia a few times. I hung her head over the side, just barely where the mutts could reach her. Before I could do anything else, someone's hands went around my waist, and I was flung back a good five feet.

Everything was a blur. Arms and legs were flying everywhere, with dogs growling underneath us. Blood was spurted everywhere, and I felt it run down my face. Finally I ended up with Peeta. I wrapped my arm around his neck and pointed my sword at Katniss, who aimed her bow at me, ready to fire at any moment.

I started to laugh. And then cry. My body shook uncontrollably as the tears began to flow.

"Go on. Shoot. Then we both go down and you win." I looked at Katniss and began to speak. "Go on. I'm dead anyway." My voice began to break, as tears fell harder. "I always was, right? I couldn't tell until now." Anger began to set in. "How's that?" I looked up at the sky. "IS THAT WHAT THEY WANT? HUH?" I didn't know who that was directed to, the Capitol or my family. "Huh?" Katniss readjusted her bow for my chest. "I can still do this. I can still do this – One more kill. It's the only thing I know how to do, bringing pride to my district." I felt Peeta's finger on my hand. Tears began to flow harder now. "Not that it matters."

With that, Katniss shot me in the hand, making me lose my grip. Peeta quickly turned around and pushed me. As I hit the ground, the mutts were immediately on top of me.

I saw my allies' eyes first. Glimmer, Marvel, and worse, Clove. They were the first to attack. My suit of armor was so strong that they couldn't break through it, as much as they tried. The went after my face, arms and legs while others still tried to break through my armor.

I cried out in pain and tried to throw them off of me. My sword fell out of my hands when Peeta pushed me, and I had no idea where it landed. The pain became greater as I began to bleed out.

I failed. I failed Clove. I failed my district. I failed my family. I failed Cora.

I was dying and there was nothing I could do about it.

Through the pain, I looked up at Katniss who was watching, tears welling in her eyes. I uttered one word I hoped she would hear. One word I hoped she would understand.

"Please."

She lifted her arrow and shot me in the head.

As the pain began to subside, and my vision went blurry, I managed to say one more thing. Something I hoped the camera would catch.

_"I'm sorry, Cora."_


	18. Epilogue

I watch my family walking to town square. All three were dressed head to toe in black. Rows of chairs are set up, and they take their respective seats in the front row. I stay close, never taking my eyes off of them. Another family of four takes their seats on the other side.

The rest of the District slowly shows up. All walk past both families, wishing their condolences. My mother simply nods, and my father waves them away. Cora's eyes are red and puffy. She hasn't stopped crying.

I'm still with my family. I use my old room as always. I hug and kiss them in the morning, night, and whenever they break down. Although they can't see me, I think they know I'm there. Especially Cora, who walks in my room everyday just to say hi.

Shortly after everyone is seated, Katniss and Peeta, along with their mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, and their escort, Effie Trinket, come and sit on stage with Mayor Pickertt. Right after, Mayor Pickertt steps up to the podium.

"Thank you all for coming." He sounds somber and defeated, like he does every year District Two doesn't win. "Please give a warm welcome to the winners of the 74th Annual Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark." The whole crowd claps, but it's not like when I first volunteered, which seems lifetimes ago. It's a polite clap. The message is clear. _You killed our tributes. We don't want you here._

When the applause dies, Mayor Pickertt continues. "In honor of winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games, Ms. Everdeen and Mr. Mellark will now give speeches." The mayor sits down, and Katniss and Peeta quickly take their place.

They both look terrified. As if something bad might happen. Katniss begins. "Thank you for welcoming us to your District with such warmth." Yep. Definitely staged. "We are honored to be here."

Peeta continues. "Cato and Clove were both amazing." At this, both families begin to quietly sob. Cora however, holds nothing back. "They were amazing fighters, amazing tributes, amazing people."

Katniss takes the lead again. "They will both truly be missed, not only by you, but by us as well. Thank you." With that, they both walk off the stage and sit back down. Mayor Pickertt takes his spot back up at the podium.

"That will conclude today's ceremony." The anthem began to play, and my family and I head back home.

As everyone shifts in their seats, I look around. Brutus began to leave, popping some pills in the process. I notice some people from school as well. They don't seem nearly as sad. The kids were never sad when a tribute died. Probably because they've grown to accept it. Grown used to it. I shudder at the thought. How could anyone ever be used to it. How could _I_ have ever been used to it?

Nothing will ever be the same for my family again. I hear my mother break down sobbing in the middle of the night, whispering my name. My father does nothing to ease it, but I've seen him when he thinks he's alone. He goes out in the backyard and beats up the dummies. I think he blames himself. He forced me to volunteer. He thinks I would still be here if it wasn't for him.

But nothing is harder to watch then Cora. Cora, who breaks down crying during dinner. Cora, who consistently asks my parents "why Cato didn't keep his promise." Cora, the baby sister I let down. And it eats me up inside.

There's talk around the district that a rebellion may start soon. That Katniss and Peeta's double win could spark something within the other districts. I hear talk when I go shopping with my mom. Things like "how ungrateful can they be?" and "they'll put them in their place just like last time."

I for one, hope they're wrong.


End file.
